Private Neutrophil Blood Test

A private Neutrophil Blood Test assesses how many neutrophils are circulating in your blood. Neutrophils are one of the main types of white blood cells our bodies produce and make up around 40-70% of our total white blood cells.

Neutrophils form in the bone marrow and travel through blood, tissues, and lymph nodes, effectively patrolling the body for foreign bodies that could result in infection or illness. They play a key role in helping us to stay fit and healthy by capturing and attacking foreign bodies that could cause us to get ill, like fungi, bacteria, poisons, viruses, or cancer cells.

What is a normal neutrophil count?

It is normal to have a steady level of white blood cells circulating in our body at all times to help detect the threat of infection and respond immediately. A normal neutrophil count is between 2,500 and 7,500.

If your body detects a foreign body, white blood cell numbers rise in response, ensuring it can fight off the invader and stop any infection in its tracks. This means that if you have recently been ill or had an infection, it is likely you will have slightly higher than normal numbers of neutrophils in your blood.

If you have low levels of white blood cells circulating in your blood (known as neutropenia) it is usually because your immune system is immunosuppressed, which means it can’t respond as it should to the threat of invaders. The most common reasons for being immunosuppressed include:

• Ongoing or recent cancer treatment like chemotherapy
• An autoimmune disorder (like Coeilac disease), which is when the body mistakenly attacks healthy cells
• Recurrent infections in a short space of time which weaken your immune system

Having low levels of white blood cells puts you at higher risk of infections, so you may be advised by your doctor to avoid mixing with people who are or have recently been unwell.

You may want to consider having a private Neutrophil Blood Test if you have:

• Recently suffered from an illness and want to monitor your recovery
• Been feeling under the weather and are unsure if you may have an illness
• Been advised by your doctor that you may have high or low neutrophil levels
• A desire to check the health of your immune system
• An autoimmune disease or are undergoing cancer treatment and want to know more about your neutrophil count

A private Neutrophil Blood Test involves having a blood sample taken to evaluate the number of neutrophils circulating in your blood.

A trained Health Assessment Specialist will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm using a small needle. Once the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood is collected into a test tube, which is then sent to a lab for testing.